NBA Trade Rumors and News Rumor Roundup – June 30, 2009

This summer’s free agency – like most 76ers possessions the last 21/2 seasons – begins with point guard Andre Miller.

And it begins tomorrow, the first day of NBA free agency, when the Sixers are allowed to contact Miller, an unrestricted free agent, to begin discussions about what it might take – how much money and over how many years – to re-sign the team’s 33-year-old starting point guard.

Although teams may begin negotiating with free agents tomorrow, contracts may not be signed until July 8.

Miller, who last season averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists, is represented by Andy Miller, who has said his client’s No. 1 option is to remain with the Sixers.

"He’s the main free agent, an important free agent," said Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski. "Neither of us is going to be at each other’s doorstep at 12:01 a.m., but we will talk on July 1. There’s no doubt."

Carlos Boozer has a tough decision ahead of him tomorrow. Boozer has until 5 p.m. on Tuesday to decide whether to exercise a player option on his contract with the Utah Jazz. The contract is set to pay Boozer $12.7 million next season if he opts in. Could he make more than that on the open market?

Boozer isn’t so sure. Sources close to Boozer told ESPN.com that the power forward is still mulling his options and won’t make a decision until Tuesday. However, sources say that there’s a significant chance that Boozer will exercise his player option and return to the Jazz next season.

A few months ago, Boozer was much more confident about his decision. He told ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan that he was opting out in December. "I’m opting out. No matter what, I’m going to get a raise regardless," Boozer told ESPN.com. "I am going to opt out. I don’t see why I wouldn’t. I think it’s a very good business decision for me and my family, but I’d also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here."

The landscape has changed a lot since Boozer made his statement in December. The financial meltdown has caused owners to pull back on spending. The free agent landscape is pretty dicey. Only three teams — the Pistons, Thunder and Grizzlies — have enough money under the cap to offer Boozer a substantial deal. Two of those teams, the Thunder and Grizzlies, are young teams in the process of rebuilding. Boozer is not in either team’s plans, according to sources.

That leaves the Pistons and Jazz. For months it was assumed that Boozer would land in Detroit. But last week Pistons sources told ESPN.com that Boozer wasn’t the team’s highest priority and that if they pursued him, they weren’t willing to give him the $13-15 million a year he’s looking for.

Now we know why Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was trying to trade into the upper reaches of the draft on Thursday night and buying second-round picks after he couldn’t get a spot in the lottery level: The Rockets need healthy players.

The surprise is none of the three second-rounders the Rockets acquired were big men.

Who does Rick Adelman start at center next season now that it appears Yao Ming won’t be available?

Carl Landry? Chuck Hayes?

If Yao’s broken left foot keeps him on the sidelines for the entire 2009-10 season, and perhaps beyond, the team that played the NBA champion Lakers tougher than anyone this spring won’t have to worry about trading up to the lottery level in next year’s draft. They’ll just have to worry about how the ping pong balls pop on lottery night.

Free agency begins at one minute after 11 p.m. local time today. Expect the Rockets to contact the agents for the best big men who might be lured by the full mid-level salary cap exception of just less than $6 million.

One of those is Antonio McDyess, the veteran Pistons center-forward whose off-season home is, ahem, Houston. Even at age 34, he is one of the NBA’s most consistent post players. He averaged 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds last season, when he returned to the Pistons after being part of the Chauncey Billups-for-Allen Iverson deal, loyal to GM Joe Dumars to the bitter end.

Can the Rockets afford not to find out if McDyess would like to finish his career in his adopted hometown? With Yao out and Dikembe Mutombo finally retired, McDyess would play at least 30 minutes a night for the Rockets.